Manning, New York, American League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company
1909–11
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 5/8 x 1 7/16 in. (6.7 x 3.7 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick
Accession Number
63.350.246.206.124
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the early days of America's pastime with *Manning, New York American League*, a gem from the legendary T206 White Border series by the American Tobacco Company 1909 and 1911. This pocket-sized commercial color lithograph (just 2⅝ × 1⅞ inches) captures the poised portrait of a New York American League baseball player—likely a Highlanders (early Yankees) athlete—against a crisp white border. Issued as inserts in cigarette packs, these cards fueled the growing baseball craze while subtly promoting tobacco products, blending commerce with fandom. Chromolithography brought vibrant hues a...
About the Artist
American Tobacco Company
**American Tobacco Company (1890–1911)** Founded on January 31, 1890, in Durham, North Carolina, by James Buchanan Duke, the American Tobacco Company emerged from the consolidation of five major U.S. tobacco manufacturers: W. Duke & Sons, Allen & Ginter, Goodwin & Company, W.S. Kimball & Co., and Kinney Brothers. Under Duke's aggressive leadership, it rapidly achieved monopoly status, controlling...